Scientific Director - Mechanistic Cell Biology - Early Molecule Discovery

Location: Indianapolis
Posted on: June 23, 2025

Job Description:

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world. The Lilly Small Molecule Discovery group is an organization purpose-built to create molecules that make life better for people. We focus on using cutting edge science to unlock new approaches that can treat people suffering from diseases with poor treatment options. We continually challenge ourselves to deliver molecules that can provide breakthrough efficacy with the highest possible safety margins. We are dedicated to optimizing our mindset, technology, and processes for faster, more nimble execution. Our success is built on a culture that empowers innovative problem solving through open collaboration and individual accountability. Position Summary: Lilly’s newly created Early Molecule Discovery team is responsible for small molecule hit to lead prosecution using traditional, and where warranted, novel mechanisms and technologies on early pre-portfolio targets. We have an opening for 1-2 experienced drug hunters, who as the Director of Mechanistic Cell Biology will lead a group tasked with the rapid evaluation of early hits and leads using a variety of mechanistic readouts to identify lead series best suited to deliver towards the target product profile. This is to include evaluation and confirmation of target occupancy, evaluation of protein complex formation, drug efficiency, and signaling effects. In this role the candidate will also direct the generation of robust, novel, cell-based assays to be used to screen and interrogate novel inhibition mechanisms and modalities across therapeutic areas Candidate will organize these efforts across multiple projects in parallel. Responsibilities: “Lead from the bench” by actively participating in the team’s research activities (i.e. hands-on experimental work, experimental design, advanced analysis, etc.) Lead team efforts in designing cell-based assays and characterizing ligand pharmacology for multiple target classes, including GPCRs, cytokine receptors, kinases, transcription factors, cell-signaling proteins etc. Deep expertise in ligand ID for one target class and ability to translate those learnings to other target classes. Technically proficient in methods to measure cell-based activities, including but not limited to high content imaging, immunoassays, reporter gene assays, viability, and cAMP. Design screen deconvolution plans and assays that identify compounds which engage the target through the desired mechanism and triage compounds acting through nuisance mechanisms. Design and engineer innovative cell lines and approaches that improve our ability to find small molecule ligands. This includes biased approaches that incorporate molecular pharmacology insights and novel approaches like deep mutational scanning. Enable teams to process large numbers of samples in parallel to evaluate quality of hits generated Mentor cell biologist engaged in early discovery projects to think deeply and work creatively while delivering excellent scientific results and insights to the project teams and their colleagues. Participate with other technical teams in meetings to identify and solve problems, guide work towards project goals. Communicate on-going work and progress, and plan forward thinking strategies. Develop and continually advance one’s knowledge base on the molecular pathways being targeted by our discovery, clinical and research programs. Proactively investigate new or different technologies and methods to advance our discovery projects including but not limited to data and sample automation. Maintain proper electronic notebook documentation and archiving of data and analyses in database Ensure consistent and high-quality data outputs from a variety instrumentation platforms. Engage and direct efforts for teams in the identification, elaboration, and characterization of early lead molecules across multiple projects and mechanisms Basic Requirements : PhD with minimum of 7 years academic/research/industry exp (may include post-doc experience) MS with 10 years industry/academic/research exp BS with 13 years industry/academic/research experience Ability to create, sustain and model culture of innovation, collaboration, and dedication. History of directly leading team, or teams, of functional area experts Additional Preferences: History of drug discovery Demonstrated experience in working collaboratively across various disciplines to meet project goals and timelines. Flexibility to adjust priorities over time to meet organizational and scientific goals. Ability to work independently and as an integral part of a larger collaborative team. Continual Learner Highly organized with excellent analytical, documentation, time management, and multi-tasking skills. Views personal success is a consequence of team’s success. Self-accountable for the timely delivery of progressable leads to the larger organization Self driven, hard working, lab first, data dependent decision maker Additional Information: Physical Demands/Travel: The physical demands of this job are consistent with a lab environment . The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This position will require some travel 5-10% of the time Work Environment: This position’s work environment is in a Laboratory. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. *To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the role and responsibilities satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form ( https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation ) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response. Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups. Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $156,000 - $250,800 Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees. WeAreLilly

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